2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Bismarck, ND

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Bismarck, ND.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$76,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-23.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$669
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$7,308
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$6,639/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,748
Target Market
Destination Location

Bismarck, ND

COL 94.1
Gross Parity Income $76,500
Federal Income Tax -$8,000
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,852
State Income Tax -$211
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $62,437
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,124
Discretionary Cash Flow $51,313

EPI family budgets put living costs 23.5% lower in Bismarck, ND than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $76,500 in Bismarck. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $927 in Bismarck, $7,308 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $669 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Bismarck. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,639 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $52,560 in Bismarck.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Bismarck (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$927-$609-39.6%
Food & Groceries$342$350+$8+2.3%
Transportation$1,011$1,105+$94+9.3%
Healthcare$459$406-$53-11.5%
Other Necessities$582$366-$216-37.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,791+$56+3.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$609/mo (-39.6%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Bismarck: $927/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$740/mo (-41.0%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Bismarck: $1,067/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$6.40/hr (-23.5%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Bismarck: $20.80/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.99/hr (-17.4%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Bismarck: $18.93/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Bismarck Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$93,540-$17,470 (-15.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$81,120-$20,300 (-20.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$106,020-$27,270 (-20.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$88,650-$10,250 (-10.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$76,910-$5,710 (-6.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$151,020-$22,790 (-13.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$133,370-$35,830 (-21.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$101,660-$42,630 (-29.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$61,900+$2,890 (+4.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$86,840-$40,520 (-31.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$90,590-$12,270 (-11.9%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,640$105,040-$16,600 (-13.6%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Bismarck, ND Relocation FAQs

About $76,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 94.1 in Bismarck, ND, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Bismarck, ND: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Bismarck, ND to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Bismarck, ND Overview

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Bismarck, ND: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Bismarck, ND to match $100,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

About $76,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 94.1 in Bismarck, ND, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Bismarck, ND cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 23.5% lower in Bismarck, ND than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.